Medical Eye Center in the News
Dr. Imperia Assists in Ethiopian Cataract Workshop
HCP Affiliated Ophthalmologist Dr. Paul Imperia returned to Quiha Zonal Hospital in Mekelle (for the third time) to continue his work with HCP partner Dr. Tilahun Kiros and to assist in a high-volume cataract workshop. Over 400 cataract surgeries were provided in four days. Before arriving in Mekelle, Dr. Imperia visited Aira Hospital in a small town in western Ethiopia. HCP provided advanced cataract surgery training to Aira’s ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Bora in 2010. Aira Hospital is one of only a few full-service hospitals between Khartoum and Addis Ababa. A dedicated staff serves thousands of patients per year, providing surgical services, with as many as 250 outpatient visits per day and 80 in-patient beds. “The week with Dr. Paul Imperia was very inspiring. Totally 159 cataract surgeries were done during the week. We are very much thankful to him and his assistant and also we thank the HCP for the support of the cataract workshop that has contributed a lot to the Health care Ministry of Aira Hospital.” —Dereje Tsegaye, Hospital Director
Dr. Jorizzo’s 2013 expedition to Ethiopia
For a second year in a row, Dr. Paul Jorizzo and his daughter Kristin traveled on a medical mission to central Africa. This year, the trip focused on a high-volume cataract surgery camp in Arbaminch, Ethiopia. They were joined by local doctor Yewubnesh Hailu, MD, who completed an ophthalmology fellowship at Medical Eye Center in Medford. The week-long surgery camp began at 8:30am on Monday morning. Dr Jorizzo gave a brief glaucoma clinic and then proceeded promptly to the operating room. His team worked 14 hours on Monday, and 12 hours each day Tuesday through Friday. In total, about 370 surgeries were performed, but almost 100 people were turned away due to high demand. Most patients had cataracts and their surgeries were performed by the three Ethiopian ophthalmologists supervised by Dr. Jorizzo. “The quality of surgery at this camp was as high as I have seen in my international experience,” explains Dr. Jorizzo. “Most patients had very mature cataracts, and there was an impressive number of traumatic cataract surgeries performed. More than I had seen previously in Ethiopia.” Dr. Jorizzo’s impression of the Arbaminch Hospital eye unit was very positive. The eye care clinic’s administrator “seems very motivated and capable” to Dr. Jorizzo, and medical director Dr. Dawit Gidey is “a super nice guy, very calm, a talented clinician and surgeon. I see both of them as reliable assets and would advocate supporting them in any way possible. I believe an investment in Dr. Dawit and the eye clinic staff
Sightlife: Restoring Sight to Thousands Around the World
Join hosts Paul Akers and Jon Lussier of “The American Innovator” radio show (KGMI-AM Bellingham, WA) as they talk with SightLife’s president and CEO, Monty Montoya. Learn about this organization’s vital work restoring sight to thousands of blind people around the world. Working both domestically and abroad, SightLife harvests corneas, creates eye banks, conducts surgeries, and trains doctors in third world countries to conduct these life altering treatments.